I Want to Coil!

It's been a long time since I called myself a "newbie" about anything, but in the area of high voltage projects, I am practically infantile. I've been interested in electricity and have actually wanted to become a residential electrician for a long time. However, that's where my knowledge of current ends, with basic household projects like flipping a circuit breaker or installing a new light switch.

After watching the (horrible) movie, The Prestige, which highlights some of Nikola Tesla's achievements, I became interested in constructing my own Tesla Coil. I love to learn (and believe I can learn almost anything) but my particular learning style requires that I have practical application. Good a abstraction I am not. So this seemed like an easy way to get myself started down the road to improving my understanding of electrical current, circuits and, well, math.

I've been doing A LOT of research on Tesla Coils, examining others' designs and getting a grip on the basics of "coiling." My favorite bit of knowledge so far comes from the awesome resources available at DeepFriedNeon.com:

Tesla Coils are VERY VERY LOUD!!!